(Photo: Sports Illustrated) 

College Football Playoff-First Round 

(11) Tulane Green Wave at (6) Ole Miss Rebels 

Tulane (11-2):

I hope they sent the Duke Blue Devils a thank-you basket of some sort because if Duke hadn’t beaten the Virginia Cavaliers in the ACC Title Game this past Saturday, Tulane wouldn’t be in this position right now. Not only did they have to rely on another team doing them a favor, they also had to handle business of their own — and they did just that by defeating North Texas to win the American Conference Championship. It’s been another strong year for this program, and for the first time in school history, they are playoff bound! What has contributed to their success, you ask? That’s why I’m here — to break it down for you. First, it’s been strong coaching, and believe me when I say that makes all the difference. Jon Sumrall gets the best out of his roster, and that’s all you can ask for: effort and the ability to try. I know Jon accepted the job with the Florida Gators to be their next head coach, but he didn’t up and leave before finishing what he started with Tulane, and I respect that. This Green Wave team has also taken full advantage of the transfer portal. On the field, they feature a balanced offense and a strong defense that plays with pop and attitude. They did what they had to do to get to this point: win and strengthen their playoff chances. Next Saturday, they’ll make their way to Oxford for a showdown with one of the SEC’s best.

Ole Miss (11-1):

I know that all the news, rumors, and coaching possibilities were mentally taxing for this team. After the Florida Gators and LSU Tigers fired their head coaches (Billy Napier and Brian Kelly), it was expected that Lane Kiffin would be linked to both jobs — especially after the job he’s done in Oxford this year. He did exactly what many anticipated: he accepted the LSU job and announced he wouldn’t coach Ole Miss in the playoffs. What they expected to happen already happened, and now they can simply focus on football. Having watched this team play as much as I have, I absolutely love their approach to the game. They have a balanced offense led by a dual-threat quarterback in Trinidad Chambliss and a running back in Kewan Lacy. They have weapons on the perimeter, and on defense, they’ve improved drastically under now-head coach Pete Golding, who was promoted after Lane departed. I’ve seen my share of quality quarterback play this year, and Trinidad deserves to be mentioned in that conversation — Ole Miss isn’t here without him. They’ll play their first game since Kiffin left and make their playoff debut against the Tulane Green Wave on December 20th.

Tulane X-Factor: Matthew Hightower

This is the defensive engine of the Green Wave. When playing Ole Miss, you must be prepared to defend RPOs, quick reads, explosive plays on the perimeter, and horizontal and vertical shots. The one position that can disrupt all of that is a high-IQ, athletic linebacker — and this is exactly where Matthew factors in. He has the ability to eliminate the quarterback’s easy throws and is Tulane’s best tackler in the open field. Matthew will also be counted on to spy on Chambliss. If he has a big game, Tulane will have a shot in this one.

Ole Miss X-Factor: Kewan Lacy

He’s one of the key factors for this offense. If Ole Miss wants to make a run in the playoffs, Kewan Lacy will have to be on his A-game. He has been elite and productive all season long, with the ability to change a game with his explosiveness in the open field. Kewan makes this offense better, and when you can consistently run the football effectively, it forces defenses to respect the run. In the regular season, he rushed for 1,279 yards and 20 touchdowns.

Final Thoughts:

This is one of two rematches from the regular season in the first round of the College Football Playoff. When these two met in the regular season, Ole Miss dominated and never looked back. Now, we get the rematch with a trip to the Sugar Bowl on the line, and the Georgia Bulldogs will host one of these teams in the second round. One of the positives of playing a team twice in the same season is the ability to make adjustments for the second matchup. Tulane must force turnovers, make Ole Miss drive long, and create third-and-long situations. They must control the clock and use ball control to keep Ole Miss sidelined. Mixing up tempo and playing with balance is key to avoiding becoming one-dimensional. For Ole Miss, winning on third down is critical against Tulane’s strong third-down defense. Offensively, convert third downs. Defensively, force Tulane into long-yardage situations, get off the field, limit Tulane’s explosiveness, and get Kewan Lacy going. This will also be Pete Golding’s head coaching debut, and I know the Rebels want to get this one for him.

Prediction:

Ole Miss 31, Tulane 14